[OOC] Task Force: Sentinel - Occult Covert Operations

[StormWolf]

Task Force: Sentinel

To the public - magical or mundane - our contact information is not available. Our Organization isn’t in the yellow pages under “Professional Hunters”, “Wizard P.I.” or “Bounty Hunter Witch”. We have been in business since the Pyramids were young and have been working ever since. If you know of us, you are either in need of our services, or you will live the brief remainder of your days fearing us.

We are the Watchers in the Dark
The Keepers of the Long Vigil.
We are the Sentinels

Non Dormit Qui Custodit Antequam Tenebras
The Sentinel Sleeps Not Before the Darkness

The World as we know it – our History – is incomplete. The true picture has been cropped and cut to best protect the feeble minds of the mundane and meager three dimensions of existence. Sheltering them from the cold, dark, and malicious things that twist and constrict at the tangent edges of their perception. Why do you think we mortals have an unexplained fear of the dark and unknown? An innate distrust of what cannot be explained. Ever since we had discovered fire to protect us from what lurked in the shadows, we have huddled close to that flickering and feeble light, doomed to be snuffed out by the darkness that crawls and slithers its way ever closer. There are monsters of the terrestrial sphere, of our resident dimension, that see themselves as the peak of the food chain. Humans, Vampires, Shape-changers, even the alien and eternal Sidhe fall into such trappings. It is the feeble defense of a mewling child before the eternal and inconceivable vastness of the Outer Darkness. But not all is lost.

There have been those who stood valiantly in the face of such voracious darkness throughout the ages. With the vastness of the world, ideology, and culture separating these courageous souls, they remained united by one singular purpose:

Keep the Vigil.

To keep the Vigil is to dedicate one’s life to the preservation of the Veil, to be the warden of ancient and eldritch secrets. To lay down one’s own life, sanity, and soul for the world to keep on turning. It means killing monsters who pose a threat to all that is held dear - be that monster a vampire, a werewolf, a deep one, or a mortal man.

Welcome to the Division of Occult Global Security.
We are the DOGS that guard the Gates, and we set out teeth stalwart and imperishable.

You are to be among the best of us. The most highly trained, talented, and skilled in your field and craft. Entrusted with the protection of the greatest defense against the gnawing Nothingness, you wear weight of your badge as a mantle of honor and a burden. You are the first and last resort, you are hammer of wrath and the hand of mercy.

You are a Sentinel

The Veil is the balance of the world we know and the world we do not. The Hidden World running parallel with the mortal world. A cosmic force binding everything together, a balance of karma; Light and Dark, Creation and Void . Whenever the Veil lifts or tears, reality heaves. Fire falls from the skies, rivers run with blood, floods consume the planet, and plagues return entire Empires to dust. The Vigil kept by these fiery spirits is thankless and will at times falter, but without them, the world would be a dark and primordial hell. The greater the Vigil grew, the more sophisticated the organization had to become, using a marriage of mortal and supernatural resources to keep both worlds in check. But the Vigil is a mere calling – a shimmering blade in need of a firm hand against the terrors of the Nevermore. In a world where one is surrounded by secrets, knowledge is power. The power of prophecy, to See and Listen to the true nature of the world. Such is the burden and terrible power of the Oracles.

Oracles are mortals bestowed with vast knowledge of things esoteric, arcane, and unnatural. Many are lost to the pages of history along with the rest of the Hidden World, but there are some who, during times of great upheaval, drew attention to the eternal struggle, like the fabled Oracles of Siwa and Delphi. To be an Oracle is an ancient birthright as well as a curse. As one Oracle dies, the next will be born. An unwritten law of cosmic balance is that there must always be five Oracles alive at one time. To break the chain of reincarnation would leave the world defenseless to the most sinister of threats from the Beyond - the Outer Dimensions. When an Oracle is born, a shockwave is felt around the world, most potently by the psychically sensitive and those gifted (or cursed) with the Dream.
The Oracles will begin experiencing the World-Dream and expressing psycho-kinetic abilities as soon as their mind has matured enough to process such information and energies; usually between █-██ years of age, depending on the stage of mental and physical maturation.

Magic is real, as are magicians. Witches, wizards, sorcerers. Magicians gather in secretive cabals known as Societies, ranging from the stringent traditionalist to the experimental rebels.
The Archmagus Collegium is the ruling body, a selective collection of Societal Heads, typically keeping to traditional Teutonic European standards of magical tradition and decorm as a means to deny any problematic bodies from occupying space...

Vampires are real. They are graceful, ageless predators who appear human until the hunger and blood lust takes control. That is when they shed their guise and assume their true form, like a tiger’s eyes flashing green before the kill.
Beneath the Regents, Vampire society is divided into broad swathes of territory around the world, known as Baronies. Each Barony is, of course, ruled by a Baron who the elder authority of the Regents.

Shapeshifters are real. Were-beasts, therianthropes. Hunters without equal and peerlessly savage apex predators. Ancient breeds with ancient cultures who gaze defiantly down the barrel of looming extinction.
Shapeshifters live in tightly knit groups and communities, usually of their same kind. Packs, Prides, Gangs, Troupes. These groups are widespread and disparate, but two powerful families seek to unify the Breeds once again.

The Fae are real. Some appear human, imposing and hauntingly beautiful, but others are vile and monstrous, lurking in the dark places to fulfill darker appetites. No matter their shape or size, these alien beings are not to be taken lightly.
The Fae gather in their fabled Courts, attended by the high lords and ladies of innumerable Houses, rife with rivalry and strife older than the memories of mankind.

Ghosts and Spirits are real. They prowl the twilight realm of the Nevermore – the in-between. They are psychic reflections of those who have once lived and were unable to let go, or the manifestations of constructs; primal, animist, and complex.
Above them all is The Consortium, the supernatural United Nations, or at least that is what the respectable members try to achieve.

Sitting at their High Table, the Consortium is all smiles above the Table and drawn knives beneath.
The Consortium is the global authority of the Hidden World, but like any governing body, they become lost in the quagmire of bureaucracy and self-interest, tangled up in too much red tape.

[Dec. 10, 2010] - Something terrible happened. All seven oracles were killed in a coordinated attack the likes of which the Division and our sibling societies have never seen. For seven days, the world experienced supernatural upheaval hitherto unimagined. It came to be known as The Week of Nightmares.
[Dec. 17, 2010] - Seven Oracles were born - the mothers of the Dream-Children all entered labor at the same time, down to the minute. They were, for a time, lost and unaccounted for, leading to an unholy amalgam of human trafficking and arcane arms race.

Denizens and Information
We are not alone...

The Fae

The Fae are a widely varied menagerie, from the puckish pooka to the imperious High Sidhe. They are the creatures of fantasy and fable, occupying the Planes adjacent to our world. They are beautiful and terrible beyond the meager three dimensions of mortals, more treacherous and dangerous than the sea in a storm. Their Courts and Houses war with each other as frequently as denizens of our Plane, but they hold law and decorum as sacred. Several times in the history of the Hidden World, the Fae have taken part in conflicts as allies, enemies, and independent parties.

They are alien in their motivation, drive, and existence. They function differently from us in ways that are too complex and varied to tell. All that is known is that iron is to them as silver is to us, and their magic is limited to Court and House. An Archfey can, if fable is to be believed, impart her power to one who wears their mark.
There are, first and foremost, the Great Courts of the Fae; Seelie (Summer) and Winter (Unseelie). Within the Courts, Greater and Lesser Houses operate to garner favor from the High Lords and Ladies that sit at the head of the Stone Table.
In the centuries of overlapping existence with our history, it falls to reason that cross-pollination occurred. The half-fae offspring of these liaisons are called Changelings, capable of manifesting their inherited Fae-traits in a limited capacity. Many Changelings garner favor from Houses and Courts, seeking to turn into a True Fae.
Those who choose to retain their humanity exist as outsiders in either world, often forming together into small, insular communities called Freeholds, where they are not beholden to Courtly law and politics, but also devoid of the protections that come with being part of a Court and House.
Fae and Changelings are both vulnerable to iron, though the latter has something more akin to an allergic reaction, where the former treats is as caustic anathema.

The Vampyr

Stragoi, Lamia, Leech, Blood-sucker. Vampyr.

A contagion that hungers, the Vampyr have been present ever since there was the Herd. Civilization is their experiment in domestication, keeping their food supply well-fed, docile, and prepackaged. A simulation that grew far beyond their control

The Vampires are a peculiar sort, sporting one of the greatest varieties of terrestrial prey than any other as their hunger elevates their human condition while they live, and becoming completely devoid of humanity once they die.

When an individual is first Turned by the Embrace of Vampire, they go through a series of minor changes. The Turn takes a full twenty-four hours after the sire imbues their blood into their would-be progeny. After which, they become a Living Vampire, or a Scion. They function much as they would normally, going about their day-to-day if they so wished, but their Sire is always in their head.

A Scion, while light sensitive, is not burned by the sun or succumbed to the same banes of the Undead Vampire. A Scion can even eat and drink mortal food, even sire biological children of their own, but there will never be anything more fulfilling than slaking their blood lust or pleasing their Sire. The person the Scion was before the Turn is dialed up to eleven as they feel the supernatural strength and grace that comes with Vampirism. So long as they stay fed, aging slows to a crawl.

All this changes when the Vampire dies. Dying is not permanent, unless the heart or head are removed, the body is burned or slurred into mulch, or other such obliteration occurs. The Vampire will return as an Undead Vampire. Aging truly ceases, and their power magnifies by a grotesque magnitude, capable to truly miraculous feats. Once undead, a vampire cannot go into the sun. Fire is anathema as silver is to werewolves. Neither food, nor drink, nor drug can sustain them. Only the blood can. There is no joy unless it is through power, nor is there sorrow or fear but for the light of the sun. Only burning and beheading can assure the True Death.
Should a Vampyr – living or dead – procreate, 99 out of 100 offspring will be rapidly aging monstrosities, called ghouls. The one-in-a hundred is born a Dhampyr, a creature that possesses greater power than a living vampire, but cannot ascend to a status of undeath.

To mortals, vampyr venom and blood is a toxin. The venom is an opiate, capable of muddling the senses and inducing a sense of euphoria. This venom is secreted in trace amounts through their saliva and sweat, allowing them to subtly nudge potential prey into complacency through proximity. Vampiric Blood, however, is an intense stimulant, akin to an amphetamine.

Aggressive Appetites

-Hemophage: Your classic vampire as fetishized by modern media of the day. Blood is as much food and drug, sex and sustenance. The more they feed upon it, the more they need it.
-Auraphage: Vampires that feed on emotion, aura, and the impulses between neurons. An elder Auraphage can feel a ghost of emotion by ripping it from another being.
-Thermophage: The Thermophage sustains itself on heat. They can take it from anywhere, but only the body head from a living creature can truly satisfy the gnawing cold.

The Mages

Witches, Wizards, Sorcerers, Mages.

Humans with the gift, talent, or ability to tap into the source code of the universe, channeling the powers from other planes of existence, binding pacts with entities of great and terrible power. At face value, they might not seem like much, and that mindset will assure that you never live to make the same mistake again. Mages are not to be trifled with, trusted at an arm's length at the closest, and hunted with extreme prejudice should they weaken the fabric between dimensions.

Like any creature with access neigh-infinite cosmic power, they will always want more. Too much is never enough for their kind. The greatest point of caution is a Mage seeking a Familiar. The power of the True Name is nothing to be understated in any aspect of our world, but a Mage can turn any living being into a Familiar, nominally through a ritual invoking the True Name. The Familiar has their will shackled to the Mage, their minds linked, their powers shared.

There are few hobbyist mages, as anything but dedication to the craft will see the would-be sorcerer consumed by their on works. Focus and Foci are required to narrow the flow of cosmic energies into complex constructs and commands, and these vary from magus to magus. There are traditional foci, like amulets, staves, and wands, but also concepts like words of power and faith. Foci is the framework for the spell, allowing a magus to visualize and manifest planar powers through them like a lens.

The Thera

Shapeshifters. Skindancers. Beast-folk. Ancient Predators.
In every culture, there exists tales of individuals who can assume a terrible beast-form to wreak havoc upon the hapless, helpless villagers. The best known is the werewolf, thanks in great part to the march of modern media and cinema, but there are much more. As a people, they are much more.

Therianthropes – or Thera – are always derived from predatory species. Wolves, bears, big cats, and the like. In their words, they are “thrice born and thrice sworn”, reflecting the three shapes they may assume:

The Human form, the man-skin. One's own hominid shape with which to blend in among the Herd. The Form to drive a car, wield a gun, and hold their children to their breast. Since the time of the First Fire, the First Spear, this Form has been of dire necessity.

The Beast form; The animal-shape, running on four clawed paws with keen senses and the greatest connection to the spiritual realms that spawned them. In this form, they are closest to Nature.

The Primordial form; the shape they took in antiquity, unbridled primal rage and fury, killer instinct made manifest in a hulking, fine-tuned murder-machine.

Therianthropes are all weak to silver, sharing similar core ancestry, but divergent breeds have different external vulnerabilities. Wolfsbane, for example, will not effect a Weretiger the way it does a werewolf. In recent centuries, they have become greatly endangered, many of their ancestral hunting grounds and sacred sites destroyed by wars and consumed by industry.
Unlike vampires, who and embrace others into their fold, a Therianthrope must be born. The bite cannot change an individual, neither can blood transfusions or other practices of modern magical science and medicine.

A True-Born - a Thera with two Thera parents or the winner of the genetic lottery with only Thera-parent, will undergo their First Change under two circumstances. The first, and the most common, is during puberty. The body is already changing in more ways than one, allowing the Blood to manifest. While painful, it is rare for one to lose control during this type of change. Tightly knit Thera communities will throw celebrations for the Cub as they assume their True Self.

The second circumstance is, in all honesty, just as common as the first. If not more so, in the last century. In a word: trauma. Something triggers a life-or-death fight/flight response, or a life-threatening injury occurs. It is in this that the Beast-Spirit stirs to protect itself and the host. The transformation is violent and frenzied, acting on pure survival instinct.

Magic

Magic is mercurial and ephemeral, varied from individual, tradition, and the source of power used. Of the sources, there are three: Chi, Ley Lines, and Patrons. These power sources are not exclusive in access.

Chi, or Ki, is ones own personal power, the culmination of personal willpower and spirit. Everyone has this personal spring of power, but not everyone can access it. Chi is used to tap into magical charms, trinkets, and other arcane-imbued items.

Ley Lines, or some concept thereof, can be found in nearly every arcane tradition around the world. A flowing lattice of raw power that stitched through the world. The most common form of power used for High Magic as it is known. Famous mages who have achieved great feats of arcane apotheosis have done so through Ley Line magic.

Patron, or Pact-Magic, is dubious and dangerous. It involves bearing a mark to a being of great power, ultimately being a Familiar to that entity. Bearing a Pact-Mark, an individual acts as a conduit for the entity, capable of channeling portions of their Patron’s power through them.

For the most part, magic must obey the rules and laws of our world. Being the building blocks and source codes to the universe, it must fall within the constraints of its own rules, but a clever magus can also bend the rules and framework if they apply themselves.

The exception to this is Pact-Magic, which is what makes it so dangerous and unpredictable. Pact-Magic draws power not from the self or the fabric of the universe, but from an entity beyond it.

Operative Dossier Template

Name: What is your True Name?

Alias/Callsign: Your radio handle? Your name this century? Don’t be too edgy with it, okay?
Note: Callsings of godly names is a bad idea, as the god likely exists and will take offense at a pesky flesh-bag using their name.

Gender: Be what you want to be.

Race/Species: If you’re not human, how evident is it?

Age (Real and apparent, if applicable): Are you fifty and look fifty? Are you twenty and look ninety? Are you three-hundred and look like you’re not even ready for college?

Concept: This can be anywhere from a word to a paragraph. This is as much for me as it is for you. A quick reference to keep everyone true to their character.

Appearance: A good description and/or an image. No anime, please and thank you

Personality: Broad strokes is fine, I don’t need to know every bawdy joke they like to tell. This should not just be a list of character traits; tell me how they see the world, how they think, how they act.

Powers, Traits, and Abilities: Let this cover supernatural powers, mundane skills, and whether or not they’re particularly good at shooting snot-rockets. As above, this should not only be a bulleted list of specific powers. Enough specificity to give me the shape of their abilities is good, a spreadsheet is not.

Fears, Flaws, and Vices: Pretty straightforward. What are their shortcomings? What keeps them awake and night, and what tests the limits of their bravery? What breaks them?

Standard Loadout: While equipment will vary depending on mission and situational parameters, every member probably has a select few items that they always have on them. This should include ‘signature’ weapons and any talismans, relics, or misc foci.
Keep it reasonable.

Background: Take this opportunity to show me where your character came from, why they became a Sentinel. This can be a biography, a short story, a comic strip, or whatever.

And if there are parts of your character’s backstory you want to expose through the game, that’s fine. Surprises are always fun for everyone. If you have some ‘under the table’ stuff you want to include, PM me so it can be incorporated, also so I know you aren’t planning on making the descendant of Dagon, or something.

One question to be answered: Was the Operative a part of Operation: Cassandra on October 17, 2010?

Note: The IC will begin in medias res

The Sentinels

- "Strider"

Mission Files

I. "Dread Harvest"

[WaywardK]

Oooh! I got here before any accepted characters! I'mma try and come up with an interesting yet understated Witch-type character ^^

[Naril]

I'm already writing. <3

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

I should have my contribution completed by day's end, other matters permitting first and foremost.

[Dead Cruiser]

Working out my character. Would it be possible to play someone who is working with the Sentinels in a sort of "joint operations" capacity? What I have in mind is a fixer that works on behalf of the vampire Regents that is "on loan" to this particular Sentinel cell.

[WaywardK]

Working out my character. Would it be possible to play someone who is working with the Sentinels in a sort of "joint operations" capacity? What I have in mind is a fixer that works on behalf of the vampire Regents that is "on loan" to this particular Sentinel cell.

@Dead Cruiser

!!! You don’t remember me cause it’s been years and this is a new account but I’m glad to see a familiar face.

[Dead Cruiser]

<Snipped quote by Dead Cruiser>

!!! You don’t remember me cause it’s been years and this is a new account but I’m glad to see a familiar face.

@WaywardK

[StormWolf]

Working out my character. Would it be possible to play someone who is working with the Sentinels in a sort of "joint operations" capacity? What I have in mind is a fixer that works on behalf of the vampire Regents that is "on loan" to this particular Sentinel cell.

@Dead Cruiser

Yes, that's totally viable. I presume a living vampire or dhampyr?

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

This post has been removed, the character associated was approved by the Game Master. Please review the appropriate tab for information.

[WaywardK]

Oh well if we posting here

Jason Kerrigan - Hyacinth

Gender: Male Presenting

Race/Species: Human Witch

Age: 29
Born August 6th, 1989.

Concept: The Flirtatious Greek
A god-favored witch and lover of the ancient Greeks. His craft is steeped in worship of the gods, whom he doesn’t seek to simply worship, but to develop amicable relationships with. The main deity he worships is Apollo, who shares many personality traits with him. Seeking to curry more favor with Apollo, Jason joined DOGS in order to protect the oracles.

Appearance

Dirty blonde with green eyes, Jason is an androgynous fellow who comes across as your typical millennial. Never professional unless he has to be, an off-duty Jason looks like he’s dressing to draw eyes, juxtaposed to how well he blends in on duty. His hair can sometimes have more product in it than your local superstore, but again that’s when off duty. Jason prefers a loose top with form fitting bottom.

Jason is lean rather than boxy and muscular in appearance. His somewhat boyish stature can be a blessing or curse depending on the situation. He’s smaller than your average male, only around 5’7” and 160lbs soaking wet. A well groomed goatee and the eyes of someone who’s seen some shit are the only things that age his youthful appearance.

Jason’s features are the bare minimum of masculine presenting, with a rounder jawline and smaller nose. He’s fairly attractive with high cheekbones, clear skin, and well defined eyebrows. That being said, on a scale of 1 – 10 he rates himself as a solid 7 ½, just pretty enough to be recognized, not pretty enough to get free drinks.

Personality

Flirtatious, subversive, and extroverted, it’s hard not to be friends with Jason. If you could sum him up in any one word or phrase, it would be “free-spirited.” Despite his overflowing social energy, he is not a stranger to nuance and will make every attempt to match the energy he gets from his surroundings if it gets him what he wants. People are his pleasure, and his addiction. If Jason fears anything, he fears being alone more than anything else.

Jason’s first trick for de-escalating any situation is often to disarm someone with flirtatious compliments. Whether he means anything he says is up in the air, but when it works it’s hard to judge his strategy. This has lead to him having a somewhat promiscuous reputation, but you can pretty much expect that from anyone who works with the Greek pantheon.

Greek sentiments of humility, sensuality, and philosophy are important to him, even if he doesn’t align himself with all of them. He doesn’t deny himself of any desire, he does not believe in “ignorance is bliss,” and he will never be boring.

Powers, Traits, and Abilities

• Faux Patrons – The Greek Pantheon is known for rarely practicing patron-based magic with humans as their interference with human affairs is often mercurial and capricious. That being said, obtaining favor with the gods in the pantheon is possible. As rewards for his worship, Jason on occasion will receive magical items and gifts or guidance in the form a familiar of one of the gods. He’s only ever received a single gift, but has received more “guidance” than he could care for.
• Herbalism – Jason is fairly well versed in herbs from magical and medicinal perspectives and knows how to use them to create a myriad of potions, tinctures, balms, and more. This knowledge can sometimes seem trivial with the advancements in medicine and science, but in the world of magic, sometimes knowing what flower can be used to turn someone into a goblin can be useful. Jason often carries a bag with pre-made mixtures for their utility, but never keeps anything particularly dangerous on his person unless specifically needed for a mission.
• Sunlight – As opposed to most pagan witchcraft, Jason’s ritual practice is based around the position of the sun in the sky as opposed to the phases of the moon. This and other things has lead to his chi having a special affinity towards the sun and being more powerful during the day. When he manifests his own magic as raw power it comes in the form of low-intensity flames or light. A good shotgun is often times more effective, however.
• Astra – A crow. Astra is not a familiar but rather a crow that Jason once cared for as a fledgling when she broke her wing. Her intelligence leads many people, Jason especially, to believe she may be more magical than mundane, as she can understand things crows should not be able to understand. To many colleague’s surprise, Astra is not a pet and thus isn’t domesticated. She is a wild crow with her own will, just because she spends one day on Jason’s shoulder doesn’t mean she won’t spend the next month terrorizing a poor farmer. She seems to just enjoy Jason’s company, however, and can be possessive.
• Track Star – Jason was a runner in high school, and his running helped pay for college. He was not the best at speed, but he was there for the long run. Few operatives can match his ability to run someone down. He’s got a pretty decent amount of stamina to boot.

Fears, Flaws, and Vices

Jason has a compulsory need to be liked and will get agitated when around someone he knows doesn’t like him. He’ll go through stupid lengths to get some people to like him, and if he’s not careful it will drive him up a wall. He’s aware this aspect of his personality is childish, but hasn’t been able to shake it for as long as he’s been alive.

The need to be liked probably stems from Jason’s fear of being alone. As a child he was often shunned by other kids for being a “weirdo.” Bullied relentlessly up until high school Jason eventually learned the best way to not be the odd one out was to be ridiculously likable. The developmental scars are still there, a decade later, and sometimes Jason wonders if he’s ever been true to himself the entire time.

In juxtaposition to Jason’s absurd desire to be likable, he has a promiscuous reputation that poisons his first impressions among the Sentinels and fellow DOGS operatives. He’s constantly playing a game of catch up with how others view him, and that can lead to what he calls “the heat of dumb bitch hours,” referring to strings of irresponsible decisions

Standard Loadout

• Ritual Dagger – An ornate silver dagger with a marble handle and a smooth quarts set in the hilt. The dagger acts as both a foci and an underhanded weapon.
• Remington 870 Shotgun – Much like his personality Jason’s choice of gun is loud and explosive. He’s not exactly subtle. He can get off 7 rounds before needing to reload with a Remington and that’s all he thinks he needs. Not to mention, it’s cheap.
• Standard 9 MM – In closer quarters or when in need of something more nuanced, he’ll go to everyone’s favorite over the counter pistol. DOGS-issued attachments of course.
• The Belt – Jason’s herbal potions and poisons are famously carried in a batman-style utility belt. What potions he brings depends on his directive, but he’s always equipped with some first aid and a few acids. If you’re in for a good time, maybe he’ll bring along his own rendition of Greek fire.

Background

Jason was born to an Aisling Kerrigan, a single woman of little importance. Aisling was not special in any regards, having lived life by the seat of her pants, with no awards, accolades, or reputation. Tragically, she died in childbirth and was adopted by the guilt-ridden mother of the man who had gotten Aisling pregnant and ran. She had been in her 50s at the time, not the most equipped to care for a newborn baby. Regardless, Dorothy raised Jason with care, and he never wanted. She refused to let him grow up the troubled youth most orphans did.

Try as Dorothy did, Jason was an odd child growing up. He often spoke of seeing people who weren’t there. He spoke of a particular man with golden hair, kind eyes, and a golden bow strapped to his back. This man would often come to Jason when he was alone and scared and tell him to chin up. Dorothy begged Jason to let go of his imaginary friends but Jason hung on to them until the tail end of middle school. Jason pleaded with the figures to leave him alone, as he only wanted to be normal.

Jason enjoyed a personal renaissance in high school, finally ridding himself of the reputation of the boy who saw things, claiming he was on a new medication. He became “popular” for the first time in his life, and the lonely kid thrived on the attention as a track star. Jason came into his own, but couldn’t help the feeling that this was all empty in the long run.

Jason took a gap year before going to University in an attempt to discover himself once more. He dived into his family history and discovered his mother had one interesting facet to her life. She was a part of a circle of Druids based a few hours out of DC where he was born. She had served a priestess-like role. Jason took this revelation and dove into his Celtic origins. Something about the magical aspect of it drew him in, and as many a baby witch has done, attempted to get into Wicca for a year or two.

In college Jason took classes in biology and philosophy, unsure of what he wanted to do with his life in a professional capacity. Feeling incomplete, he went on a trip to Greece with his sophomore Philosophy class one summer, always looking to discover himself in new ways. They took a detour to the ruins of Delphi when their plans got interrupted.

Jason, for the first time in over half a decade, saw the man with golden hair and a bow in the distance while walking the path with his group. Desperate to see if he was delusional, he took off from the group and chased down the man. The man with golden hair took off running as well, seeming to enjoy himself. They ran for what seemed like hours, and Jason forgot where he was, the world seeming to vanish. Eventually, they arrived at one of the archaeological sites at Delphi to which the man disappeared behind a pillar. When Jason caught up to the pillar, he felt something smack him on the back of the head and he was rendered unconscious. He woke up two days later in his hotel room and was told by his professor he had been missing the entire time.

During those two days, Jason had walked with the man with Golden hair in his dreams. The man introduced himself as Apollo. Apollo explained that he had no real reason that Jason would be able to see him. Only that Apollo had seen Jason in a vision of a future crisis and that Jason reminded him of a man Apollo once knew. To thank Jason for talking to him once again, Apollo gave him knowledge of true magic.

That was the last time Jason ever saw Apollo. For almost a decade since Jason has been trying to see him again for real. He was eventually conscripted by DOGS when they got reports of a field of Hyacinths along a major leyline in the US. All they had to tell him was the existence of the oracles was very real, and he saw his chance to curry favor with Apollo. He’s only been a member for a few years and still gets taken aback by some of the big events DOGS has handled in the shadows.

_{This Operative is not privy to Operation: Cassandra}

[Dead Cruiser]

@StormWolf Cool. A dhampyr is my current plan, yes. I imagine the Regents maintaining their own sort of small cell of problem-solvers, which my character would be a member. Hopefully we get a little leeway for our depiction of vampire society?

As well, given the general World of Darkness inspiration readily apparent, should we consider vampire powers to be on about a similar level?

[StormWolf]

@StormWolf Cool. A dhampyr is my current plan, yes. I imagine the Regents maintaining their own sort of small cell of problem-solvers, which my character would be a member. Hopefully we get a little leeway for our depiction of vampire society?

As well, given the general World of Darkness inspiration readily apparent, should we consider vampire powers to be on about a similar level?

@Dead Cruiser

More or less, yes. Things like Oblivion and Blood Sorcery would be some Elder Vampire level shit, though.

Now, I'm going to grumble to myself about the Losombra over here. Proceed :)

[MysteryBroom]

Currently working on my character :) gonna go for the stealthy/clandestine operator approach
Will have it up by tomorrow

[Dead Cruiser]

My character is coming together. Might write up the sheet tonight or tomorrow.

He's modified a .50 cal sniper rifle into something the size of an assault rifle. His approach to "decapitating" vampires is more akin to "turning the entire top half of their body into salsa."

[StormWolf]

My character is coming together. Might write up the sheet tonight or tomorrow.

He's modified a .50 cal sniper rifle into something the size of an assault rifle. His approach to "decapitating" vampires is more akin to "turning the entire top half of their body into salsa."

@Dead Cruiser

Might I suggest the GM6 Lynx or the 50 Beowulf. Both are bonafide "T-Rex Guns", but the Lynx sound like it's what you're looking for.

youtube.com/watch?v=oGmcf6qjI7g

[Dead Cruiser]

@StormWolf Interesting choices, I originally thinking of the more classic Barret M017.

He carries a compliment of white phosphorus grenades as well, for extra burnination, and some other fun toys.

[StormWolf]

@Dead Cruiser The Barret is still used for obvious reasons, it's a workhorse of a rifle. I suggested the Lynx because of the smaller profile, making it easier to maneuver in tight confines. Thankfully, the D.O.G.S. armory is no slouch, so depending on what you think is most appropriate for a mission, you'll be able to switch things up if you have the time and access to the quartermaster.

And good lord. Yeah, that'll do it.

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

It might bear mention that November actually has a weapon based on these exact criteria that I wrote out the day before, @Dead Cruiser, @StormWolf. So far the idea for its canonicity is based around the idea that a therianthrope could easily carry and employ such a weapon with minimal consequence, bringing to bear firepower most things just physically cannot field easily. Until it is approved, however, that niche technically remains untouched.

[WaywardK]

I know nothing about guns I'm just here for mystical shenanigans Q-Q

[StormWolf]

@WaywardK@The Harbinger of Ferocity

Combing through your characters, I think they're both ready and welcome for the character tab. I'm already interested to see how the characters will mesh and conflict.

Once we've got a solid spread, I'll poke everyone about making character bonds :)